When casting with a spinning rod of the type having a reel suspended from the rod handle on a thin shank, an angler usually grips the handle in one hand with the reel shank extending between his second and third fingers and his thumb positioned atop the handle. The rod is then raised overhead with the line secured beneath the angler's first finger and moved rapidly through and to the end of a forward casting arc. Near the end of the arc, the line is released to propel the lure to a desired location for fishing.
An affecting such a cast, the angler must exert considerable pressure on the rod handle and reel shank with his hand and fingers. The thumb, for example, typically exerts downward and forward pressure on top of the handle while the third and fourth fingers exert upward pressure on the bottom of the handle and the back of the second finger bears against and exerts rearward pressure on the reel shank. Further, the back of the first finger tends to bear against the second finger significantly increasing the pressure exerted by the second finger on the reel shank. As a result of the second finger bearing against the reel shank, the angler commonly experiences discomfort in this finger after a few casts which can become severe pain after a prolonged period of casting. In addition, the forward momentum of the rod at the end of the casting arc tends to cause the reel shank to bear even more strongly against the back of the angler's second finger thereby increasing the pressure and causing even more pain and discomfort.
An angler can also experience discomfort while retrieving a fish. In counteracting the downward and rearward forces exerted on the rod during such retrieval, the angler typically exerts upward pressure on the handle with his first and second fingers and forward pressure on the reel shank with the front of this third finger. The forth finger also tends to bear against the third finger further increasing its pressure on the reel shank. As with casting, the pressure of the reel shank on the third finger can cause the angler great pain and discomfort after prolonged periods of fishing.
Prior attempts to relieve the just described pain and discomfort have included spinning rods with a leather strap that can be tightened about an angler's hand for improved grip, contoured reel shanks to cushion the impact of the shank on the fingers and elastic or rubber straps that fit tightly about an angler's fingers during casting and retrieving. Exemplary of such attempts are the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,419,159 of Fazio, 4,648,196 of Moody, 4,697,377 of Martin and 4,793,087 of McGee. While some of these devices have experienced limited success, they have in general fallen far short of solving the problem. Indeed, some, such as the leather strap, can even hinder an angler's ability to cast accurately by restricting movement of his hand and fingers about the rod handle.
A continuing and hitherto unsuccessfully addressed need exist, therefore, for a spinning rod assembly that can be cast and used to retrieve caught fish for prolonged periods of time without causing pain and discomfort to an angler's third and fourth fingers. It is to the provision of such a spinning rod assembly that the present invention is primarily directed.